Shaft-bearing.



' with machines UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE.

FRANCIS HALLI'WELL, O'F RUGBY, ENGLAND,

COMPANY,A CORPORATION OF AS SIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC NEW YORK.

SHAFT-BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Julv 13, 1909.

Application filed June 22, 1907." Serial No. 380,301.

I f. The lower end of the fixed bush is pro- ,c it known, that'I, REGINALD FRANCIS treatment, rat-[subject of the King of Great firrtam, resldiiigat 36 N ewbold road, Rugby,

the county of -Warwick, England, en- '1"! r nave invented certain new and useful mentsf and Relating to Shaft- "";-*SE*Wl 116l1 the following is a specififl'ftlla tu illli r l ifh inan opening ormed in I This necesheundelieiderofthe condenser.

-r sitates th eiuseof {an additional or guide bear 36; mg for-theishaft'at the upperside of the condenser wherefgtliishaft passes into the wheel casin ;Wil ;h the ahave arrangement there is great. difiicultyngrsecuring accurate alinement and,

at the high speeds at which elastie fiuidtur mes usuallyfronfthe extra -le hr of shaft; required to pass through eney-of jthe'sliaft to whip or bend thereby all-pang it tolbind in the intermediate or i armgo The, object of the resent invention is to overcome the diflicu ty ofaccurate aline: A "merit and. to

guide bearing situated at ornear. the upper side (:5 the ,eondenser, which is easy of access for. a ljnstment or'repairs, and reduces the total on h'of the turbine shaft required therehy eereasing thetendency of the shaft 40 to-whip or bend when running at high speeds. The accompanying, drawing illustrates my invention.

In the-drawing I have-shown a vertical:

turbine a of. the well-known Curtis type h mounted .-u :on a base I) containinga con- 'denser""'e f n the upper side of the base I -.projvidef a*-central aperture inwhich is fitted a fixed cylindrical bush or 'lin'erdinside which is slidingl. fitted'a journal or step bearing e so so secured asto be ca able of longitudinal movement in the bush but'prevented from rotation therein by means ofa key or feather mi -turbine having a vertical shaft icond'enser increases the tend-' provide a combined step and vided with agland g and acking so as to prevent leakage between t e bush and the ournal Without interfering with the relative movement between the two. The upper end of the journal 6 forms a bearing for a flange or collar h which may be either formed integral with the shaft'itself ata short distance from its lower end or as illustrated it may form art of a liner'lc secured to and surrounding the lower end of the shaft 1.

portion ofthe shaft is adapted to project -mto the bearing. The surface of'the journal or bearing e'with which the shaft or liner engages is preferably lined with anti-friction meta m rovided with suitable grooves to conduct ub ricant to the bearing surfaces.

It will be seen from the above that the weight of the moving element of-the turbine is carried by flange h at the upper end of the bearing e; the length of the earing being -slightly longer than the portion-of the shaft or theliner in surrounding the shaft which projects into it.

In order to adjust the movable element of the turbine I secure a screw rod n in axial alinement with the journal bearing. This The' lower end of this liner k with the inclosed rod is rigidly secured at its upper end to the lower end of the sliding-bearing e which is closed with a blind flange or plate 0 cast integral withthe sides of the bearing. The lower end of the" rod. has a screw-thread formed on it which passes through an internally screwed bush fitting into a cross head 1* rigidly secured. y means of a key to the base I) ofthe condenser. The bush is capable of rotating in the cross-head but is held against longitudinal movement therein by a flange s bearin on one side of the crosshead and a worm w eel t secured to the bush and bearing against the otherside of the cross-head 1'. Additional means for preventing longitudinal movement of the bush may beprovided if desired. The worm wheel t secured to the bush engages with a worm it carried by a shaft 0 which may pass through the base at any suitable point and may be provided with a hand-wheel or other suitable means for-"turning it. When it re desired to raise or lower the rotating element of the turbine this hand wheel is turned in the desired direction thus causing the worm to rotate the worm wheel 15 and bush p to which it is secured. As the bush is prevented from moving longitudinally through the cross-head the screwed rod a passing through the bush is raised or lowered, carrying withit the ournal beari g and the rotating element w of the tur ine. Lubricant under pressure is supplied to the bearing from any suitable source and may be led flirectly into the inclosed space {E in the lower end of the bearing below the end of the shaft, orin the screwed rod supporting the bearing maybe made hollow for a portionof the length as illustrated and the lubricant admitted to this portion which is in direct communication with the space it above referred to through a pipe y.

Inorder that the weight of the rotating element may be taken off the journal hearing so that the bearing may be taken out for inspection or repair, the upper flange of the bush fixed in the upper side of the base of the machine is formed with one or more inclined surfaces similar to those of an ordinary overrunning claw clutch. Directly above this bush is a loose annular ring provided with complementary angular surfaces or claws adapted to engage with those on the bush. Normally when the claws are in full engagement the upper side of the annular ring is clear but when the ring is rotated and the surfaceson it slide up those on the bush the upper surface comes into contact with a collar on the shaft or with the boss of the lowermost wheel of the rotating element. Further rotation of this ring raises the shaft thereby taking the weight of the rotating element off the upper surface of the bearing and bringing it on to the fixed bush (2. Any convenient method of rotating the ring may be employed, for example it may have a worm wheel formed on its outer surface engaging with a worm carried by a shaft 4 projecting through to the outside of the casing and provided with ahand wheel 5 or other means for rotating it. When the weight is taken off the hearing by the ring the bearingmay be lowered and entirely withdrawn from the bush and inspected or repaired or a new bearing inserted.

A bearing constructed as above described is simple in construction and not liable to get out of order and is easily accessible when it vis desired to inspect or repair it. The lubricant being supplied from the lower end and passing upward carries any particle of metal worn off at the thrust bearing portion, away from the bearing instead of carrying them into the guiding portion as is usually the ease.

It will be obvious that alterations in the construction and arrangement of the various arts of the modifications of my invention described above may be made without .de-

parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. I

In .accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A combined step and guide bearing I 3. A combined ste and guide bearingcom rising a fixed bus ling, a bearing within said ushin having guiding and bearin surfaces, said bearing being closed at its o'wer end, a rotatable shaft in said bearing, a flange formed on the upper end of the bearing, a cooperating projection formed on the shaft,

and means for forcing lubricant from the lower end of the bearing first between the guiding surfaces and then between the bear ing surfaces.

4. An elastic fluid turbine comprisin stationary and rotating elements, a com ined step and guide bearing for said rotating element, and mechanical means for relieving the bearing of the weight of the rotating elements comprising a member-that surrounds the shaft, and means for simultaneously imparting angular and axial movements to said member 5. An elastic fluid turbine eomprisin stationary and rotating elements, a combined step and guide bearing for saidrotating ele-. ment, and means for mechanically relieving the weight of said rotating element consisting of relativelymovable members having inclined bearing surfaces.

6. An elastic fluid turbine comprising stationary and rotating elements, a vertical shaft for said. rotating element, and means for rais ing said shaft consisting of an axially fixed ring having inclined teeth formed on its up: per surface, a ring adapted to cause axial movement of the shaft, said ring having complementary teeth engaging the teeth on the first mentioned ring and means for producing relative rotation of the rings.

7. In combination with an elastic fluid turbine having stationary and rotating elements, a vertical shaft for said rotating elegaging said ring, and means for rotating said inent, a combined step and guide bearing for rin said shaft, a fixed bushing for said bearing, 1%1 witness whereof I have hereunto set my inclined teeth formed on the upper side of hand in presence of two Witnesses.

4 said bushing, an annular ring rotatab'ly REGINALD FRANCIS HALLIWELL.

mounted above said bushing and having Witnesses: complementary teeth engaging the teeth on CHARLES H. FULLER, the bushing, a projection on the shaft en- J. A. FOSTER. 

